back on track

1 May 2005 - J and I (and a recently conceived Z) ran the Vancouver 1/2 marathon. An integral part of our training was running the 3.1 miles around Green Lake. In marathon shape I could run the loop three times. Soon after the 1/2, I quickly lost my endurance as my heart raced to pump enough blood for the both of us. I walked the loop several times per week throughout the pregnancy up until the day before he was born. Since his birth, walking around the lake has been a gauge of my return to fitness - at first only able to walk a short section, it took a couple months to walk the whole loop.

The advice we received about jogging strollers (which seems to be the advice about everything) was "six months;" his neck and back should be strong enough to withstand the bumps and jars of riding. Z will be 6 months in 2 days (!), so we took the stroller on loan from ZJK to Green Lake to give it (and me) a whirl.

It was easier than I thought. My legs generally went forwards and backwards, my arms stayed by my sides, and I traveled in a reasonably straight line...I had visions of me running like I was drunk and unable to control my limbs. Instead, it was like the first week of training for the 1/2 marathon - back when I couldn't run three miles at one go. I've been here before and I'll be there again.

In typical "me" fashion, we hadn't finished my first run and I was planning for the Vancouver 1/2 next May. I like the symmetry - running it the year before I gave birth and the year after - and I like the idea of training with J and Z then running it with both of them. I hope Z finds the jogging stroller comfortable... ;)